8 virtual try on clothing examples to inspire fashion brands
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While sectors like furniture, beauty, and eyewear have been offering AR experiences for quite some time, the fashion industry has lagged behind. Mapping clothes to the human body with AR is complicated because you have to ensure that a garment adapts to unique body shapes and moves with the person “wearing” it. Although not yet perfect, body tracking is slowly improving. Lidar cameras, body segmentation, markerless body tracking, and pose estimation technologies have all made virtual try on clothing more realistic than ever.
As a result, an increasing number of brands are turning to 3D and AR experiences to allow customers to visualise clothing pieces before purchase, stand out in a competitive market, and reduce returns. Research by Shopify shows that 3D and AR can improve conversions by 97% and slash returns by up to 40%.
This next level of AR technology is still evolving, giving fashion companies the opportunity to become early adopters. Here are some brands already offering virtual try on clothing experiences.
Social AR virtual try on clothing
From lenses to interactive games, AR is already a major part of many people’s social media experiences. In 2021, over 700 million people engaged with AR on Facebook and Instagram every month.
The number of people using AR is even higher on Snapchat. More than 200 million individuals take part in AR experiences on the app every day. However, rather than resting on its laurels, Snapchat continues to invest heavily in AR technology with the goal of becoming a leader when it comes to social shopping.
For example, in 2021, Snapchat debuted AR try ons for fashion, making it possible for users to virtually try on clothing and accessories through the platform. Importantly, Snapchat’s 3D Body Mesh and cloth simulation technologies mean that clothing pieces follow a user’s movements, blending the real and virtual worlds.
As more and more fashion brands launch AR try on experiences, we will see the technology improve further. In 2021, Snapchat acquired Ariel AI, an AI startup, and Fit Analytics, a machine learning platform that helps brands solve sizing issues. Clearly, the social media giant is determined to make virtual shopping as realistic as possible. It’s only a matter of time before other social platforms follow suit.
Farfetch
Farfetch is no stranger to AR. In 2020, the online luxury fashion retail platform launched a feature on its app that allowed shoppers to try on sneakers through AR before buying them. After activating the camera function, users could point their smartphones at their feet to see a 3D rendering of a chosen pair of shoes.
Now, the company is experimenting with Snapchat’s apparel try on tool. Snapchat users can virtually try on three jackets from Virgil Abloh’s Off-White collection. What’s more, they can do so by using their voice.
For example, if a user says, “show me a yellow windbreaker jacket,” the tool will look at Farfetch’s product catalogue to see if any items match the user’s request. The front-facing camera of a user’s phone will then display the jacket on their body, giving them a better idea of how it will look on them in real life.
Users can use the voice control function to take a picture or video of themselves while wearing the jacket, which they can share with friends and family or use for future reference. They can also buy the jacket directly from Snapchat.
Prada
Prada is also testing Snapchat’s try on tool. Shoppers can now virtually try on various different Prada bags.
What makes this experience slightly different is that it utilises Snapchat’s Hand Gestures technology. The Italian luxury fashion brand lets users move away from their phones and, with a hand gesture, signal to the camera when they want to try on a different handbag.
Marc Jacobs
For Snapchat users that can’t decide which Marc Jacobs bag would suit them the best, the fashion label has recently launched a Snapchat try on lens.
Users can “try on” crossbody bags from the brand’s recent “The Tote Bag” collection by swiping their hands.
Notice how natural the handbag looks in the photo — it’s as if the individual is actually wearing it rather than trying it on in AR.
Dior
Snapchat isn’t the only social platform that lets brands take advantage of AR experiences to gain more traction. In 2019, Dior created Check’N’Dior, an AR try on filter on Instagram to celebrate the arrival of their Fall 2019 collection by the fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri in retail locations.
Through the Instagram filter, users could try on Dior’s reversible bucket hats in check print lined with their famous Oblique canvas and featuring a veil. The hats came in three colours, green, red, and white.
The filter had a checked background that matched the colour of the hat the user was trying on. To achieve the fifties vibe of the runway show, the filter also embellished each user with dramatic vintage lashes.
The Fabricant
The Fabricant, a decentralised digital fashion house and a pioneer in this space, made headlines when, in 2019, it sold “Iridescence,” a digital blockchain dress, for $9,500.
Traditionally, digital garments are “fitted” to customers after they buy them. However, in 2021, the digital agency Dept combined NFTs with Snapchat’s full-body tracking tool to release a virtual AR apparel line of NFT puffer jackets.
Users could try on these “gravity-defying” NFT puffer jackets on Snapchat. Thanks to a special AR lens, buyers could also post videos of themselves in the jacket on Snapchat while on the move.
Mobile app virtual try on clothing
The digital fashion store DressX also has an app that lets users try on digital clothing in real-time instead of having to send in a photo of themselves to be “dressed.”
WebAR virtual try on clothing
Who said that AR try on experiences had to be app-based? Geenee, a web-based AR company, has developed web-based body tracking that lets fashion brands implement virtual try on clothing on their ecommerce websites.
With Geenee’s try on solution, users can “put on” clothing pieces without having to first download an app. Instead, they can participate in a virtual try on through the browser of their phone, laptop, or tablet by tapping a URL or scanning a QR code.
Getting started with virtual try on clothing
For a long time, taking advantage of AR technology for fashion brands was not a realistic possibility. However, as body tracking evolves and virtual try on clothing experiences get better, fashion companies now have an opportunity to offer their customers a unique way of determining whether a piece of clothing will fit them while shopping online.
For fashion brands ready to embrace virtual try ons, the first step is to create 3D models of their product catalogue — something that Poplar Studio can help with. Why not reach out to us now?
